The present invention relates to an agent device with program reception function used for a network management, and more particularly to an agent device identification device that automatically derives an agent device to be next transmitted for a program. The present invention also relates to a network system including agent devices.
Referring to FIG. 2 representing an example of the above-described agent device introduced by one of papers contributed to General Conference of Electronic Information Communication Society held on March, 1996 (communication 2B-900) titled "Agent adapting the delegation--dynamic script binding", the agent device is designed to execute a script describing management operations (hereinafter referred to as a program) sent from a device executing network management (hereinafter referred to as a manager) on a device for executing actual management (hereinafter referred to as an agent device).
FIG. 18 shows an example of a conventional agent device. Referring to FIG. 18, the agent device 3401 comprises a program execution section 3402 and a program execution information memory section 3404.
The program execution section 3402 comprises, for example, a program S1 transmitted from a manger M1 and being executed and access control means 3403 for preventing execution of the illegal instruction contained in the program S1 being executed. FIG. 18 shows only three managers M1, M2 and M3 and one program S1 being executed. However, plural managers M1 to Mk (k is an integer) and plural programs S1 to Sm (m is an integer) being executed can be used for any actual cases.
The program execution information memory section 3404 has a function of storing managed operational objects O1 and O2. Although FIG. 18 shows only two managed operational objects O1 and O2, there can be plural managed operational objects O1 to On (n is an integer) existing in the actual system.
Each of the managed operational objects O1 and O2 has a function for supplying the script describing management operation inherent in the agent device to the program S1 being executed through an application program interface (hereinafter referred to as API) providing the managed object operation. The managed operation objects O1 and O2 retrain delegation of the operation to the respective managed objects for accessing (read-only, read and write enabled and non-accessible).
Referring to FIG. 19, the operation of the above-constructed conventional agent device 3401 is described.
For example, it is assumed that the program execution section 3402 of the agent device 3401 receives the program S1 from the manager M1 (step S3501). Then the access control means 3403 checks whether each operation delegation held by the managed operational objects O1 and O2 deviates from the management delegation preliminarily assigned to the manger M1 (step S3502).
It is further judged whether or not the operation delegations of all the managed operational objects O1 and O2 do not deviate (step S3503). When the result at step S3503 shows that there is no deviation with respect to all the managed operational objects O1 and O2, the program execution section 3402 links the required managed operational objects O1 and O2 (step S3504). Then the program S1 enabled by the result at step S3504 is executed (step S3505). The program execution section 3402 returns the execution result to the manager M1 (step S3507).
If at least one deviation of the management delegation is designed at step S3503, the program execution section 3402 stops execution of the program S1 and outputs an error (step S3506). The program execution section 3402 returns the execution result to the manager M1 (step S3507).
For the aftermentioned conventional art, it is very difficult to realize the managed operational objects O1 and O1. This is because that the sequence from access to achieve the management function with respect to the managed object is realized within each of management operational objects O1 and O2.